Manual transmissions?

[randomness]

[Poll #1521419]

Comments

[jendaviswilson.livejournal.com]

I know the theory of driving manual, so I answered yes to that question. I have actually driven manual transmissions (motorcycle and pickup) in my youth, although I did both badly. I haven't driven a manual in about 15 years, and don't plan to. I like simple.

If it were an emergency, I could probably drive a manual. However, I will not drive a friend's manual car in a non-emergency situation because I don't want to do bad things to it.

[gosling.livejournal.com]

I absolutely prefer vehicles with manual transmission. With automatic transmission, I never feel I have enough control under less than ideal road conditions. (That said, as my pregnancy increasingly forces me to move the seat back far enough from the wheel that I am now driving with only part of my feet, I find that fully depressing the clutch is starting to get challenging. Under this circumstance I suspect an automatic transmission might be easier, as I can still fully control the other two pedals just fine.)

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

Time for a strap-on wood block on the clutch pedal! :)

[pantsie.livejournal.com]

I read this poll before I went to bed. I had a dream last night that I was picking up a jeep with some stuff in it from a college aged guy on Craigslist, but he neglected to mention that the jeep had a manual transmission. I don't drive manuals. I asked him for some help and he responded with, "Not my problem, lady." I spent the rest of the dream puzzling over the clutch.

[istemi.livejournal.com]

A big chunk of my preference for manual is that I'm out of practice with automatic. When I drive automatic, there are a couple days of chanting "brake-not-clutch, brake-not-clutch" and hand-fluttering over the shifter until I settle into it.

[ceo]

I originally learned to drive on automatics, and learned to drive stick on a really old U-Haul truck. That's what they call being thrown in at the deep end. :-) I've been driving stick almost exclusively for long enough now that driving an automatic requires some reacclimatization.

[nafe.livejournal.com]

Are you offering lessons on manual transmissions? It's been an age since i've driven one, and would love a refesher!

[sarakate.livejournal.com]

I would totally beg for lessons if I lived anywhere close by!

I can sort of drive stick, in that I have done it several times and managed it reasonably well, but it's been a good long time (in the vicinity of 15 years) since I've done it, and I've never had a vehicle of my own with a manual transmission or otherwise had the steady access to one that would let me get the kind of good solid practice needed to really be proficient at it. But I'm fairly confident that in an emergency situation, I could competently get the car to go down the road.

I assumed on the -5 to +5 poll that you meant the range to be the same as on the repost, so I answered +4, meaning that while I strongly prefer an automatic, I wouldn't totally rule out the idea of buying a car with a manual transmission under the right circumstances.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I am marginally capable of driving a car with an automatic transmission, and driving would be out of the question with a manual transmission. (My combination of disability issues is unusual, but I suspect a lot of people have [or become] uncomfortable with manual transmission when hands or coordination is impaired.) As a passenger, I am much more comfortable in a car with automatic transmission.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

I just used one of those internet thingies that claims to compute your car's trade-in value. Of course, to do so, you have to supply an email address and a preferred car that you claim to be shopping for. I used a throwaway address, and when the dealer contacted me, I stated that I wanted a car with a standard (I much prefer that term to "manual") transmission, and without MICROS~1 Sync. They didn't have any such new cars on the lot, so they had to start with the used ones. Hee!

[allium.livejournal.com]

Much belated reply to your post. I'm going to be bragging here, but I own a manuel transmission in Seattle. If you want the most hellish practice on earth you can come here at night in a rain storm and drive to my old house.